Office Supply Obsession: A Liquid Pencil
Over on Facebook ComposeCreate, I’ve been talking about my obsession with office supplies. It turns out that many of you share my love of browsing at the local office supply store for fun!
Well, I was super excited and surprised to learn of a new product: the Sharpie Liquid Pencil! Ever since it was drilled into me to complete my theory assignments in pencil, I’ve always had a pencil handy. Though I knew a liquid pencil would be a novelty I had to have, I had a hard time imagining why I would want a pencil that becomes permanent after 24 hours. My husband bought a package at Office Max for me and I love it! Here’s why:
The pencil writes as smoothly as a ball point pen.- No more breaking leads!
- The package comes with a number of replacement erasers
- I can finally write my Thank You notes in pencil since it will dry in 24 hours. For some reason, I never have a pen in my purse and eversharp pencils are a must for a composer. So, now I don’t even have to worry about having a pen handy.
- The “lead” is 0.5 mm, #2 lead equivalent
My students always think my endless supply of eversharps are pretty cool since the 0.5 mm lead makes them think it’s a pen. They’ll be fascinated with this one too!
Do you have a new “office supply find?” As a fellow OS Junkie, I’d love to hear about it!
Read MorePreparing for Fall: New Product Discoveries
Since I posed the question about teacher’s favorite teaching aids on the ComposeCreate Facebook page, I’ve gotten a lot of suggestions from other teachers. So, I thought I’d mention the ones that piqued my interest the most:
Erasable Highlighters:
And I thought Highlighter Tape was the best thing ever! Since 2010, I’ve revised which brand I use and the Frixion erasable highlighters definitely erase better than the Office Max or Depot version.
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Staff Post-it notes:
I love Susan Paradis’ staff labels and use these all the time. But sometimes I think it would be nice to have a staff that can be removed or transferred from page to page. These Staff Post-it notes from Music Educators Marketplace obviously fit that bill.
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Monster Puppet:
Jason Sifford has a great explanation on his blog of how he uses his Monster Puppet. Here’s what he says about his puppet: “Most of the time, it watches students play and bites them when they mess up. Sometimes it bites them just for fun. Students taste good!”
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The Easy Button
I wrote about the Easy Button in a previous post. Evidentally, Hallmark also sells a “Panic Button” which might coax a good laugh out of a student struggling with a touch spot! I’d love to get my hands on one of these, but I fear they don’t sell them anymore. 
Fantastic New Games
Wow, I have just discovered another incredible website with fantastic new games! I remember Anne Crosby’s name from her book In My Dreams which I used with a student ever so long ago. Her compositions were delightfully fresh and appealing to my difficult-to-please student.
Well, Anne now has a new website called Piano Discoveries which provides a new online piano method for kids as well as some beautiful, professional looking games and worksheets at no charge. She does provide an easy way to donate if you wish to show your appreciation. I’m sure you’ll be amazed at her creativity. You must run to check out her site!
A few of my favorite games on her site include Leaping Ladybugs for drilling half and whole steps and The Funny Farm Game to review general music concepts.
HT: Ms. Natashia
Read MorePreparing for Fall
I am now on a break from teaching until mid-August when I begin my fall semester. During the next few weeks, I’d like to prepare for fall by doing the following:
- Establishing achievable overall goals for my studio.
- Organizing my games, resources, music so that I can access and use them easily.
- Brainstorm on how to help my students stay organized and be efficient with practice.
- Prepare materials for the first lesson in August
I’m sure there are more things things that I need to do, but I’ll be doing well to get these done. So in the next few weeks, I’ll post about some of the new things I’ll be doing for the fall and new materials I’m anxious to use. I’ll also be asking some questions on the ComposeCreate Facebook page about what you are doing to prepare for fall. Please join the discussion there or in the comments section of any post!
Read MoreTeaching Piano in Groups (Author Interview)
Christopher Fisher, Assistant Professor of Piano at Ohio University), has just written a new book called Teaching Piano in Groups. This book is a one-stop compendium of information related to all aspects of group piano teaching. I am sure it will become required reading for piano pedagogy students across the country. In addition, this book looks like it should be on the reading list of every independent music teacher.
I knew Chris in college and was impressed by his diligence, commitment to excellence, and kindness to those around him. I am certain that his book is a well researched and extremely well written resource for group teaching. Chris has graciously agreed to do an online interview with me for this blog.
Tell us about your inspiration to write this book.
During my undergraduate and graduate studies, I became enamored by the transformative power of the group piano learning environment. It was during this time that I started teaching piano in a variety of group formats, and began witnessing astonishing growth and development in my student’s overall level of pianistic achievement. As a result of these experiences, I have taught in some form of group ever since and have become a passionate advocate for group piano teaching.
As they saying goes, “Two heads are better than one.” I believe strongly in the potential of group learning environments and I acknowledge that many others share this conviction. Still I realize there are those who have never given group teaching a chance. Because of this, I set out to write a guidebook for the novice piano teacher with the hope of inspiring interest in the instructional format while creating a reference resource for the experienced teacher. Furthermore, as a university pedagogy professor, I was motivated by the fact that there existed no text that was explicitly devoted to group piano pedagogy. Teaching Piano in Groups was designed to fill this void.
What kind of book is this?
Initially, I set out to write a comprehensive narrative on all aspect of group piano teaching. While admittedly I’ve found such an attempt to be futile, I have made a concerted effort to cover the most salient features of group piano teaching and the intricacies involved in teaching children and adolescents, university music majors and adult hobby students.
Who might find this book helpful?
It is my hope that all piano teachers will find the book helpful in some manner, from the novice pedagogy student to the veteran group piano teacher. I trust the book will serve as both a handbook and reference resource, and will inspire renewed interest in and thoughtful dialogue regarding teaching piano in groups.
What is your favorite part or topic in the book?
Since I’ve been deeply invested in this project for the last three and a half years, I must confess that it is quite a challenge to identify a favorite part or topic. With that said, I have a great interest in the application of cooperative learning theory to group piano teaching and continue to dedicate a significant amount of time to research in this realm I am also a connossieur and collector of effective group instructional strategies and activities, so it was a particular thrill to present a few of my favorite in this book.
Are there any misconceptions about group teaching that you would like to address?
There remain teachers who regard group piano teaching as an inferior mode of instruction and, who as a result of this opinion, categorically avoid teaching in groups. As one who is wholly convinced of the potential of the group piano learning environment and its manifold benefits, I feel committed to demonstrating how group teaching, when conducted properly, can both positively and profoundly transform student learning experiences.
Piano teachers often cite the disparity of student levels in groups as a primary concern. I see this as an enormous advantage rather than an insurmountable hindrance. Because of this dynamic environment involving students with unique abilities and individual differences, students stand to learn something from one another and can contribute something meaningful to the group. Further, the potential for groups to motivate students to higher levels of achievement is an undeniable benefit. Indeed, the efficacy of group piano teaching is proven and the list of its merits is expansive. It is my hope that all piano teachers will experiment with group teaching in some fashion if they have not already. And if they have in the past and have failed, I encourage them to try again and to seriously consider ways to enhance the effectiveness of their approach. As is the case with any venture, anything worth doing is worth the effort necessary to carry it out with success. To be sure, group piano teaching is an investment that has the potential to pay huge dividends.
What is your favorite part of teaching in groups?
I am always invigorated by the dynamic exchange of information and knowledge among students in the group piano learning environment. It is thrilling to witness students being actively involved in their own and each other’s learning. This sense of ownership and accountability propels students to higher levels of learning and skill refinement. And beyond this, teaching in groups is simply great fun!
Chris’s book may be purchased from Amazon or Oxford University Press.
Read MoreAmerican Music Teacher Reviews Easy Hymn Solos
Each month, the American Music Teacher, a magazine for members of Music Teachers National Association, contains a section of new music reviews. This month’s magazine (April/May 2010) contains a review of my Easy Hymns Solos Books 1-3, published by Hal Leonard.
Carolyn True, D.M.A. of Trinity University was the reviewer. Here are some of her comments,
Easy Hymn Solos are a colorful addition to the Christian/Gospel repertoire…. As the title of the three levels indicates, the arrangements are stylish, evocative and many will appeal to any student. The loveliest pieces are the slower, easier hymns where Stevens manages the difficult balance of writing for a beginning student–writing simply without being simplistic.
Thanks Carolyn for the thoughtful review! See page 48 for the full text.
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